All set to bolt to new league, Boise State stays in Mountain West and will again be favorite

Here's the good news for the Mountain West Conference: Boise State stayed in the league.

And here's the bad news for teams in the Mountain West: Boise State stayed in the league.

All set to bolt for the Big East before this season, the Broncos had a change of plans and opted to remain in the conference. That only boosts the conference's profile, since the Broncos are a perennial top-25 team. That also means more headaches for everyone in the league, given that coach Chris Petersen's squads are tough to contain.

This season, the conference will break into two divisions and hold its inaugural title game on Dec. 7. Naturally, Boise State was selected to win the Mountain Division in a recent media poll. On the other side, Fresno State was picked to capture the West Division.